Feature Stories

Bhat is a leading expert in the areas of travel demand modeling and travel behavior analysis.

Mar. 11, 2014

Rapidly evolving vehicular technologies, including the onset of autonomous vehicles, may forever reshape travel behavior. Several states have already passed legislation allowing these vehicles to travel on public roadways, and there is considerable debate regarding the various ways in which such vehicles could transform our lifestyles.

Professor Chandra Bhat discussed the types of impacts that autonomous vehicles may have on people’s activity-travel patterns, location choices, and vehicle ownership in a SXSW Interactive panel on March 10.

He examined the developing vision for transportation models of the future that are responsive to the presence of driverless vehicles, and capture the full range of short, medium, and long-term changes in behavior. The research was prepared by Bhat, who is also Director of the Center for Transportation Research at the University of Texas at Austin, and Ram Pendyala of Arizona State University.